“Profound knowledge of a specific subject gained by extensive reading or study”

“Knowledge and learning – the qualities of a scholar”

While watching the BBC’s The Big Questions #bbctbq on the grammar school debate, I started to reflect on the word “scholarship”, as Sian Griffiths explained her daughter’s delight in being able to be in a group of academically minded people – the fact that she could be proud of her serious-mindedness and not have to try to conceal her interest in academic study. My first thought was that you don’t need grammar schools for that. Up and down the country, schools of all shapes and sizes, grammar, comprehensive, independent are celebrating academic success in assemblies with presentations and awards.

Having been in my current school for some period of time, I occasionally ponder taking up one more post before retiring or leaving teaching. Recently, I have gone…